Solimans Dream - Unique multimedia light and music show at Hofburg Bressanone/Brixen

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Soliman’s Dream

Unique multimedia light and music show at Hofburg Bressanone/Brixen

From November 23rd 2017, to January 7th 2018, the Hofburg in Bressanone turns into a unique, sparkling light and music show. The venerable, historic facades of the Hofburg appear in spectacular lights, thanks to contemporary colorful video projections that tell the story of Soliman, the Elephant from Bressanone, and his journey through an enchanting dream world.

The light show was created by the renowned French light artists group "Spectaculaires – Allumeurs d’Images" and is shown for the third time, after the great success of the show in 2015 and 2016.

An Elephant in Bressanone
The story of the elephant Soliman is indeed fantastic, but not entirely invented, as the arrival of this rare guest in Bressanone is historically attested: Soliman was a gift from the King of Portugal, John III, for his nephew, Archduke Maximilian of Austria. The voyage from Lisbon to Genoa and the long march towards the Alps was exhausting for the elephant, but people at the stations along the march witnessed his sensational arrival.Shortly before Christmas in 1551, Soliman arrived in Bressanone, surrounded by his large entourage. He stayed in Bressanone for 14 days. Soon after this event, the elephant’s local host Andrä Posch baptized the inn into “Am Hellephanten" and commissioned painters to create a fresco in bright colors on the façade. In May 1552, Soliman reached Vienna, where he died only one year later.

The 25-minute long Soliman's Dream light show takes place daily at 5.30 pm, 6.30 pm, and 7:30 pm (sunday and on holidays also on 8:30 pm) in the Hofburg in Bressanone. On December 24 and 25, no light show is scheduled. A single ticket is 10 euros, only 6 euros on Mondays.

Curiosity: The white elephant in the logo of Soliman's Dream was found in a fresco in the cloister of the Bressanone cathedral. It was painted around 1465 by an artist who had never seen an elephant in his life and therefore rendered it as a horse with a trunk.

At the Domplatz square in Bressanone, guests can enjoy the Bressanone Christmas Market. The festive stalls invite visitors to join the cheerful and yet contemplative atmosphere by offering a broad range of seasonal products, hot drinks, and a great variety of South Tyrolean delicacies.